Eclipse Rising
by Specimen F
Summary: A coming-of-age story that follows the young demi-goddess Eclipse as she rises to true divinity and the tough choices she made that earned her transcendence. Mainly OC-centric with appearances from canon characters.
1. Chapter 1

The last few rays of sunlight struck the crumbling columns and dilapidated walls of a long forgotten temple. The light carried down the broken steps and to the cloud of dust and debris that filled the temple's courtyard. The air below was thick with the scent of blood, the sound of battle, and the eerie glow of the lost souls being drawn to the area. Three figures slowly became visible as the cloud of dust settled. One lay off to the side, a man wounded and breathing with difficulty; the other two, both women stood facing each other with deadly intent. It was then that the smaller of the two standing figures wondered just how it had come down to this.

"You can't continue on this way," She pleaded desperately with her enemy as the last laceration to her leg healed almost instantly. "You can release them and everything can return to the way it should be. If you don't, you will go mad."

Eclipse quivered as she saw the other girl's face darkened almost tainted by the expression of mixed fury and betrayal.

"Thanks to you this is the only way I can get what I want." The other girl said vehemently and in that exact moment Eclipse realized that she was too far gone and stopping her would require drastic measures, "And you are going to help me one way or another."

She braced for another attack from the raven haired girl across the courtyard; she managed to dodge the blast of fire sent her way with ease and attempted to get a hold on her opponent to only to bounce off of her force field and the sudden pulse of incredibly strong energy threw her against a wall that trembled from the impact. Before she succumbed to unconsciousness from the force of the blow she could see more of the lost souls being absorbed by the other girl. However she was unable to stop the process and the girl from becoming more powerful as the darkness overtook her and left her at the mercy of her opponent.

_Eclipse stood with her arms across her chest as she watched her father speak with the other man. She had been told it was time for her to begin her training. That it was too dangerous for a nethermancer of her caliber to be left untrained; and while she couldn't argue with that logic it did not comfort her about the situation or how obvious it made the lack of control she had over her abilities._

_Around the larger form of Fujin she could see the man she had been introduced to as Namtar. From the way he carried himself she knew he was much older than he seemed; the passage of time was just as visible in his stance as in his eyes as she watched him. Much to her surprise she had felt a pulse of sympathy that emanated off of him directed at her._

_Sensing the turn in their conversation she took a deep breath and made her way over to the two men ready to face her new master. Eclipse stopped when she reached her father's side and glanced up at the human in front of her. He looked down at her with an unreadable expression and she returned it with a mask of confidence._

_Her father placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and gestured at the man with the other as he spoke to her, "Eclipse this is Namtar. He has agreed to teach you how to manipulate the nether properly."_

_The young demi-goddess and her new master kept up with their stare down as he continued, "I am sure he has a considerable amount to teach you and you have will need to learn it all before you can master it completely."_

_Finally Eclipse broke off eye contact to look at her father. She had already said her farewells to the family before they had traveled to meet Namtar but she knew that it would be quite some time before she saw her father again and she latched herself to his much larger frame._

"_You sure you aren't just trying to get rid of me for a while?" She mumbled into his torso._

"_Eclipse, I can promise you that you are in capable hands," Fujin said as he returned his daughter's embrace. "All I ask is that you follow Namtar's lessons and before you know it I will be back to check on you."_

_She eventually looked up at him and said with only a little hesitation, "I'll have to make sure you have something to look forward to."_

_The first few weeks were some of the worst she had ever experienced. Eclipse had been used to daily swordplay and hand-to-hand sparring and ever practicing her summoning; but she had not been prepared for the kind of instruction that Namtar had in store for her. The first thing he had done was to take her gloves from her. The gloves she had been forced to wear for the past five years in order to keep her powers in check._

"_You need to learn control," he had said, "These will not teach you to rely on your own strength."_

_Without the familiar feel of leather on her hands she felt almost helpless and afraid to touch anything. He had told her that she needed to form a barrier of protective energy around her hands. She could feel him watching her and despite her efforts she could not focus and after a short while of just going through the motions with great trepidation he had grabbed her hand and was forced to watch as the flesh underneath her hand began to slowly decay. _

"_Control requires discipline. To be disciplined you must learn focus your energy and push away your self-doubt," Eclipse managed to look away from the display to his stoic face. "Stop being afraid of your powers and make them to obey you."_

"_I'm not afraid of my powers!" Eclipse retorted stubbornly as she tried to pull away and stop the damage she was doing to him, "I'm afraid of what will happen if I use them! It's a completely different thing."_

"_Is that right? And do you think letting that fear consume you is the best way to handle it?" He asked with a blatantly unconvinced expression and when she made a face of defeat he continued, "I did not think so. Now do as I said and try to command them."_

_The redhead's expression changed to a look of skepticism as she made sense of his before she returned her gaze downwards to her hand and focused on it. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the feeling of dying flesh beneath her fingers. With a deep breath she pushed all the dreadful thoughts to the side and began to revel in the idea of how nice it would be to touch things without worry. She could feel a rush of warm energy run over her normally frigid hands and settle inside her fingertips. With only a little hesitation she opened one emerald green eye and then the other as she stared in wonder as the flesh of Namtar's arm stopped its deterioration._

_When he finally released her arm she continued to gaze at her hand in disbelief until he spoke again, "That is only the first step."_

_Eclipse looked up at him and watched as the arm she had nearly destroyed began to mend itself, "Once you learn to control your ability to steal life-force I can teach you how to give it back."_

_She stood there feeling dazed as she considered the possibility when carried on, "Your father mentioned that you are an empath. Is that true?"_

_The demi-goddess tilted her head to the right unsure of what his meaning was, "That's what my mother believes, yes."_

_The man looked away from her and off into the distance for a moment before turning back to the young girl in front of him, "Then you should know that your emotions will always reign over your powers. If you truly mean to gain control over them then you must also learn to use all of your emotions to your advantage and fear is only ever going to hold you back from your potential."_

_It was only after a few months of intensive energy manipulating training had gone by that Eclipse was introduced to the other student Namtar was training. The demi-goddess had been so busy practicing breaking down the life-force of small plants and then trying to recreate them that she did not notice their presence until they were nearly in front of her. _

_She was brought back to her senses when a small darkly tanned hand waved in her front of her face and she tumbled back onto the sandy ground in shock and the flower she had been creating shriveled into dust. The owner of the hand laughed and Eclipse was forced to put up her own hand up to block the glare of the sun to see its owner. She was surprised to see another girl around her age smiling mischievously down at her._

"_Eclipse, this is Aziya," he said as she gestured to the girl at his side, "She has been my student for the past year."_

"_Aziya has just returned from an individual study of her spiritual senses," The older man continued, "and since you seem to need to sharpen on your own she is going to assist you."_

_The dark haired girl's smirk widened and her golden eyes twinkled as she nodded and he began to walk away, "Yes, master Namtar."_

_Eclipse pushed herself off the ground and dusted off her pants before she met the other girl's eye again, "I suppose I should ask what he has in mind for training…?"_

"_You would do better to just follow me and with some luck you will figure it out as we go," Aziya answered as she walked away from the training grounds and out into the open landscape of the desert._

"_Well, are you coming or not?" She called out to the paler girl._

_Eclipse rolled her eyes and tried to dispel the uneasy feeling in her gut as she knew she had to learn one way or another. She did not expect to wind up lost without a clue as to where the other girl had disappeared to._

"_Aziya!" She called out to the emptiness of the surrounding desert and sound of wind. "Are you kidding me? How is this even training?!"_

_She looked in every direction for any sign of tracks or trace of where Aziya went but she found nothing and she started to venture further into the sand. She continued her search focusing on what she could see and she felt a rush of excitement when she caught a glimpse of the girl at the top of a dune in the distance. Eclipse started dashing toward the sight only to find nothing but sand and the empty feeling of failure._

"_I'm getting really tired of this mirage business…" grumbled to herself._

_The redhead wandered aimlessly for nearly an hour with no luck until she finally gave into frustration and just threw herself down onto the hot sand and placed an arm over her eyes. She just laid there for a moment and allowed herself to relax and to think more clearly about her problem. When she managed to center herself she started to feel a weak but slightly familiar pulse of energy not too far away from her current position._

"_Training my senses huh? Good one old man." She said to herself as she closed her eyes and focused on the source of the energy. With enough concentration Eclipse managed to pinpoint exactly where the pulse was coming from and when she opened her eyes she could see the outline of the hidden girl._

_With a sudden burst of stamina she righted herself and quickly managed to conceal her own presence to draw out her prey. She watched as the other girl materialized before her eyes and looked around._

"_Oh no, she had better not be lost…He's going to be so angry with me if I lose her…" Aziya said to herself as she began to frantically look for Eclipse._

_The girl in question watched her pass by before she dropped her own glamor and pounced on the other girl sending them both onto the sand with Aziya on her back._

"_Took me a while but I found you," Eclipse said very pleased with herself as she soaked up the surprised and slightly embarrassed look on Aziya's face._

_The demi-goddess eventually stood and offered a hand to the other girl who reluctantly took it and replied, "S-so you did. It certainly took you long enough."_

_Eclipse sensed the other girl's hesitation but ignored it and instead made a face of indignation, "Hey, at least I figured it out. No thanks to you by the way."_

"_Right, let's just get back before the master comes looking for us," said Aziya as she collected herself and slowly made the trek back out of the desert. Eclipse stared after her and threw her hands up and made a noise of frustration before she shook her head and hurried after her so that she would not be left behind again._

_A short while after Aziya's introduction she became a regular fixture in Eclipse's training routine. The two would spend their mornings playing their own game of 'hide and seek' and target practice before Aziya would leave for her studies and Eclipse would join Namtar for her own._

_She met the older man outside in the training ground and they bowed to each other before assuming their stances. _

"_You have done well over the last few months," He said as he gestured for her to begin, "You have made more progress than I had expected you to make."_

"_Thank you, master." Eclipse replied with a pleased smile._

_Namtar nodded and he generated a ball of vermillion dark energy in his right hand and sent into her direction. Eclipse dodged the flare by leaping to the side and returning the attack with a blast of her own green energy._

_The older man vaulted the energy back at her and she brought up her arms to form a quick barrier around her and the blast bounced off the field of energy and fizzled in the air. In their previous sessions she had not been able to finish the next step but today she felt more confident than usual and mentally readied herself for the upcoming phase._

_Namtar raised his right arm and began to an orb of energy like before but this time he held onto it and it began to flare into a much larger size. He observed his student and then he released the blast of energy towards her. _

_Eclipse felt more than saw the energy move closer to her and she focused on its presence as it came nearly close enough for her to touch. At that point she held out her hands to grasp the ball of energy and closed her eyes and allowed her body to move with its force. She nearly lost her nerve when it flared in reaction to her but as she slowly continued to sway with the ball it began to change from its dark red color to a shade of green until she returned to her previous position and volleyed it back at Namtar who caught it and dispelled it with a pleased look on his face._

_Eclipse began to jump around in place at her success and stopped abruptly when she heard the sound of clapping behind her and turned to see her father and uncle standing off to the side of the training arena. Her green eyes widened and she dashed over to the gods and latched on to one and then the other._

"_Did you see that? Wasn't it awesome!?" She asked them barely containing her excitement._

"_Yes, we came in shortly after you began sparring." Fujin said as he ran a hand through her bright red hair._

"_You have learned so much since I saw you last," Raiden continued when she finally released him._

_The young demi-goddess flushed but was pleased to grab bother of their hands glove-free since she was five years old and beamed up at them. _

"_I can control it now," she said as the simple touch did not have the usual drastic effect. Equal looks of astonishment spread on the two gods usually stoic faces. _

"_That is an incredible development," Raiden finally said as he looked down at their joined hands._

_She released their hands when she heard her master approach, "Well, I can mostly control it. If I get really upset my control over it slips," she said bitterly. _

"_That is still a very remarkable improvement," Fujin replied in an attempt to offer some comfort._

"_That is what I told her," Namtar offered, "Control is something everyone must deal with._

_Eclipse looked from her master to her father and rocked back and forth on her heels and decided to change the subject, "So what have I missed since I've been here?"_

"_When I last visited your brother he was training in Seido," her father replied, "He seemed to be having a tough time as the guards remembered the last trip the two of you had there."_

_She allowed a devious smile to spread across her face at the memory of tormenting the guardsmen, "Tch, what else is new? How are the twins?" she asked thinking about her younger siblings._

"_They are growing fast like most infants," he informed her, "Your cousins have been keeping them company."_

_The look of longing to see her family was evident on her face as she looked back down at her hands and considered her decision to stay._

_Following the short visit from her father and uncle, Eclipse became even more determined to make the most of her time. She was pushing herself, nearly to her breaking point and each day she left herself increasingly more exhausted and as the weeks went by and it was beginning to show in her ability to focus._

_Eclipse was practicing alone in the training arena one night when Aziya decided to approach her about it. The redhead was focused on the lifeless form of a shrew she had found. From what Aziya could tell the other girl was attempting to bring the animal back to life but being unsuccessful._

"_You should probably get some sleep before you wind up like that shrew," she called down to Eclipse as she descended the steps to the arena floor._

"_Believe me it would take much more than exhaustion to kill me," the demi-goddess answered far too seriously but stopped her resurrection attempts and placed her face in her hands._

_When Aziya reached the other girl she kneeled down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, "I know how you must feel. Being away from your family is hard for me to deal with too."_

_Eclipse took her head out of her hands to look at the other girl, "Really?"_

_The raven-haired girl nodded at her and continued, "Yes really, while I was on my last away study I managed to sneak in a visit to my family."_

_The redhead smirked, "Lucky you, I wonder how long I will have to wait until I get my chance to do that."_

"_I doubt you will need to wait much longer," the other girl said bitterly, "The master is really impressed with your progress. He might just let you take a break."_

_Eclipse felt the feeling of hope bubble up inside her at the thought, "You think so?" she asked tentatively._

"_I'm pretty sure of it, although postponing that reunion by running yourself into the ground would be a terrible alternative," Aziya said as she got to her feet and stood beside the other girl._

"_Just get some sleep already," she said to the seated girl, "your lack of concentration has been noted."_

_Eclipse listened to Aziya's retreating footsteps until she could no longer hear them and then she turned her attention back at the lifeless body in front of her._

_She made one last attempt to bring the animal back to life and couple with the sudden rush of hope from the thought of visiting her home again she managed to regenerate the dead tissue long enough for its spirit to refuse with the body and she watched with bated breath as the shrew sprung back to life and scurried back into the empty desert._

_The months following that night seemed to pass easier for Eclipse and she was able to concentrate on her purpose again. She also began to feel closer to the other girl and when they weren't training they would spend their time exploring the temple and stargazing._

"_Any idea what we are looking for?" Eclipse asked as they rummaged through the temple's extensive library._

"_Anything that can teach me how to commune with spirits," the other girl answered, "The master refuses to show me how. He says that I'm not ready."_

_The redhead made a face of disgust and turned to her, "Why would you want to talk to dead people? Have you any idea how creepy it is when they follow you around wanting your help."_

_The raven haired girl dropped the thick tome from her hands in shock, "You can see spirits?"_

_Eclipse shrugged her shoulders, "Well yeah, since I was about four and let me tell you it is not as fascinating as you may have heard."_

"_But that means you have the ability to find them." Aziya responded in disbelief._

_Eclipse raised an eyebrow at her and asked, "Why would I want to find the spirits of dead people?"_

"_You can learn all sorts of things from spirits and sometimes get them to do what you want." She replied hastily._

_The redhead was still skeptical of her friend's intentions, "I wouldn't have to look hard for spirits anyway. They always end up finding me first."_

_Aziya tilted her head in confusion, "What do you mean?"_

_Eclipse flipped through another old text before she answered, "Well, after I started seeing spirits they began appearing around me fairly often and I ended up asking my mom about it." She stopped when a page caught her attention, "She said that spirits are drawn to me because I am a magnet for the dead seeking passage from this world."_

_The other girl kept quiet for a while as she absorbed the information she had been given and looked down at the book in her hands when she felt Eclipse move over to her._

"_Aziya," Eclipse said in an uncharacteristically serious tone that got Aziya's attention and when the two made eye contact she continued, "Manipulating spirits can be very dangerous. I would hate it if something terrible happened because of it."_

_The redhead looked the other girl for a while before she placed the text she was holding into her hands at a page open to the art of summoning spirits._


	2. Chapter 2

_Eclipse had been training for nearly half of year when she was allowed to return home for the first time. Coincidentally it was nearly around her eleventh birthday and the strong September winds brought little relief to arid island but it was home and she could not contain her excitement._

_She had spent the afternoon with catching up with her younger cousins and siblings and cooing over how the twins, Asteria and Hector, had grown, then after a huge family dinner she was out walking around the grounds just taking in the sounds and feeling of home when she heard her footsteps behind her._

"_Ekleipsi," She heard her grandfather call to her and she quickly spun around to look up at the older man who had his arms behind his back, "It is a bit early for this… but I have a gift for you."_

_The young demi-goddess smiled and rocked back and forth on her heels, "Does that mean I can open it early?"_

_Cristo smiled back and nodded, "From the sound of your progress. I believe you will be ready to put them to good use."_

_He then shifted slightly and brought his arms forward to show her a large bundle of green fabric. Eclipse tilted her head to the side but reached out an arm to part the material; inside the emerald folds she saw two identical kopi blades._

_She looked up at her grandfather in uncertainty and when he nodded again she moved to lift up one of the swords and remove it from its black sheath. As she held it in her hand she marveled at the feeling of cold steel; before this she had only be allowed practice swords. _

"_It's beautiful…they both are." she murmured as she continued her inspection and as she studied the black on silver grips and smiled at the green ribbons and pink ornaments._

"…_that was your Yaya's idea," he grumbled, "She said that if you were to have swords they must be suited to you."_

_Eclipse smiled again as the comment and quickly returned the blade to its sheath and looked up to him, "Thank you so much, Pappous," she said as she took the other blade in her hand and wrapped her arms around the older man._

"_You are very welcome my dear," he replied as he returned the embrace, "You are growing up to be a fine young woman and I expect you will do great things. But you must remember there will be times when things get very difficult and you will have to make choices you will not like, but they will have to be made and ultimately you will have to learn to live with them."_

_The brief visit to her home revitalized Eclipse and when she returned to Namtar's temple in the desert with her swords in tow she was in great spirits. As soon as she stepped through the portal Namtar had created and Aziya awaiting her arrival she ran flat out to her embrace the other girl._

"_I guess you missed me…?" Aziya breathed out as Eclipse tightened her hold and lifted her up in the air._

"_Of course I did!" Eclipse replied and placed her back onto her feet, "Although my friends back home a pretty jealous. They are used to being my partners in crime."_

"_Oh really…?" The raven haired girl asked._

"_Yeah, we get in trouble for everything, not that it wasn't our faults but still," Eclipse responded as they followed their master inside the temple._

"_I see that you have returned with a gift," Namtar commented as they ventured further into the temple._

_Eclipse perked up at the mention of the blades on her back, "Ah, yes…they were a gift from my grandparents." She removed one of them from their harness and presented it to him._

"_A suitable present," He continued as he looked over the blade, "Do believe that you are ready to learn to use them properly?"_

_The demi-goddess nodded as she was handed back the sword, "I have practiced with double swords before and I think that I could handle it along with the training I have been doing."_

"_I suppose we will just have to wait and see."_

_Eclipse proved herself right much to her own delight as the months following her return to training she was balancing her steadily increasing control over life-forces and breaking in her new swords quite well. Albeit she struggled with her heavy handed use of the blade and it took her some time to for her to restrain the damage the sharp steel did._

_For a while she was only allowed to spar with magic clones to spare anyone from any real damage. The illusions were created by Aziya and were a part of her own training. Namtar would usually stand off to the side as the two would use their own techniques on each other. Eclipse's magical sparring sessions lasted for nearly a month before her master declared her ready for real partners._

"_Are you sure you are ready?" Aziya asked with a mischievous look on her face and two curved blades in her hands._

"_I would think so," Eclipse replied with a smirk, "I have been kicking your butt for the last few weeks."_

"_No, you have been beating my clones…" the raven haired girl responded as her smile grew, "I meant if you were ready to fight me."_

_The redhead rolled her eyes at the comment, "Right, I have only been fighting an extension of the source. But if the source has such fragile extensions what does it say about its true power?"_

_Aziya's face went blank and then quickly filled with irritation, "How about we just test that power shall we?"_

"_I'm ready when you are," Eclipse replied as she assumed her stance swords in hand._

_The other girl did the same and when their master called out to let the match begin they quickly moved in on each other. Aziya attacked first and almost landed a blow when Eclipse gracefully dodged and spun around to strike her unguarded side sending Aziya to the floor. The raven haired girl swiftly righted herself but her frown had deepened and she leaped at her opponent who did not manage to avoid it entirely. _

_They continued to trade blows until they both began to tire; Aziya moved to land a final blow when Eclipse countered the attack with one of her own and the force caused Aziya to fall onto her back with the demi-goddess standing above her._

"_That is enough," Namtar called out to them._

_Aziya's flustered face was a flurry of emotions as she looked up at her friend. Eclipse reached out a hand to help the other girl up and Aziya took it despite the bitterness of her loss._

_Although the Aziya and Eclipse made great progress when sparring, the matches after that day were closely observed by their master as he felt the two were almost antagonistic when fighting against each other._

_Eclipse was a bit disappointed as she found sparring with Aziya was good practice for controlling her emotions and using her opponent's to her advantage; but she accepted it because it seemed to bring out the darker side of her friend and she wanted to avoid that._

_To make up for their less than friendly matches the two would try to relieve the stress by exploring the temple during the daytime and then sneaking out at night to gaze up at the clear star filled sky. The two of them were sprawled out on one of the temple's balconies and bundled up in a large blanket to fight out the nightly desert chill._

"_Can you believe some of the constellations people make up?" Eclipse asked the girl huddled next to her._

"_What do you mean?" Aziya replied with a cocked eyebrow._

"_I mean, who looks up at the sky and sees a fly?"_

_The raven haired girl snickered into her cold hands, "That is a bit odd…maybe the same person who saw an air pump?"_

_Eclipse burst out into giggles, "I think we need some new stargazers."_

"_Agreed," Aziya said as she rubbed her hands together in hopes of warming them, "Aren't you cold?"_

_The demi-goddess looked away from the bright sky to her companion, "I'm always cold."_

"_Well maybe the cold doesn't bother you but it bothers me so let's get back inside and warm up," Aziya complained as she nudged the girl beside her to get up._

"_Right, we wouldn't want you to freeze to death," Eclipse stated sarcastically as she stood and bundled the blanket around her friends and pushed her inside the temple leaving the starry sky behind them._

_Eclipse received another visit from her father over the following month and she was excited to see that her brother had tagged along with him. Before their arrival she had been practicing transmutation all week, and she had even managed to successfully change one of the turtle doves inhabiting the temple grounds into a small mouse much to its surprise. She had watched in restrained laughter as the bird-turned-rodent attempted to use its forelimbs to fly. After a while she took pity on the poor animal and decided to revert it back to its true form._

_As she watched the relieved bird fly away from her she spotted her father and brother crossing the temple's courtyard. It had not been possible for Damious to be present during her visit home due to his own training, so she was eager to see her older brother._

_She met them halfway and latched onto her slightly taller brother much to his false resentment, their father laughed at the display as it was one he had seen many times before. _

_Damious tried unsuccessfully to try pry Eclipse off of him, "I don't believe that I missed you as much as you missed me."_

_In retaliation for the remark Eclipse just tightened her grip and nuzzled him more, "You just keep lying to yourself. I could feel how much you missed me the moment you showed up."_

"_What have I told you about reading my emotions?" Her brother asked flatly._

"_Not to," She replied flippantly, "That would be easier if you didn't leak them all over the place."_

_Damious rolled his eyes but didn't get a chance to comment as he soon felt a strange sensation as his body tingled with unfamiliar magic. Eclipse felt it after he did and she looked on in shock as her brother changed from a teenage boy to a kitten in her hands. The blue eyed dark red kitten in her arms mewled in confusion as his sister did a double take at his transformation._

_Beside his two confused children Fujin stifled a laugh and asked, "You have been practicing your magic today?"_

_She nodded feeling a bit numb, "Y-yeah, I've been transmuting animals for the past week…"_

_Their father made a hum of acknowledgement, "And long-term use of transmutation leads to lingering side effects including temporary transformations caused by touch."_

_Damious continued to meow as Eclipse began to nuzzle his soft fur, "I think I like him better like this."_

"_It is so nice to seeing the two of you getting along," Fujin teased._

"_I'll bet, mom will be thrilled," Eclipse replied with a smirk as she scratched behind her brother's furry ears._

_Eclipse reluctantly placed her brother on the ground when she felt the familiar magic under her hands again. When her brother retained his original form he took a step back from her and she burst out laughing._

"_Aww, Dami don't you want another hug?" She asked as she stepped towards him._

_Damious in turn began to break out into a run to avoid her, "Let me think about that…how about no!"_

_Eclipse followed after him laughing the entire time, "But you are so much cuter as a kitten!"_

_Another few months passed and Eclipse began to practice her magic alongside Aziya who was more than happy to teach her what she knew. As Eclipse was already familiar with simple magic techniques Aziya and Namtar agreed that she was ready to move on to more complex arts and the first skill was dimensional travel._

_Eclipse was ecstatic when she found out the plan as it would give her a greater sense of independence. Just knowing that she would be able to quickly travel from one place to another all on her own was overwhelming. Even the agreement that her use of the power would be limited to training until Namtar felt that she was ready did not put a damper on her mood._

_In the past when she had traveled with her father or uncle she had been told it was all about concentration. As long as you focus exactly on where you intend to go then you should not have a problem with it._

_She had always thought that she would have a knack for it due to her heightened senses and talent for forming attachments. But she had not realized that out all the techniques she had attempted, it would take more than just plenty of practice and that is would require patience that she really didn't possess._

_Eclipse had spent a week and a half-pouting at her failures. She had only managed to travel as far as a village a few miles away from the temple and even then she landed flat on her face, "My brother makes this look too easy."_

"_Your brother has a natural talent for walking through worlds and opening gateways," Namtar commented after she managed to travel without winding up with a mouthful of sand, "Of course he makes it look easy."_

"_He makes most things look easy being a prodigy and all," she muttered bitterly._

"_You are as much of a prodigy yourself your talent just lies elsewhere…" he continued as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder._

"_And what talent would that be?" Eclipse asked skeptically._

"_The very talent that brought you here. Do you know how rare it is for someone to be born with that kind of power?" _

_When she made a small murmur of acknowledgement he continued, "Manipulating the Nether is something most people have to spend their entire lives learning. You only needed to learn how to maintain control over it."_

"_You have proven yourself capable of mastering the Nether, I do not see how you can lack the patience to learn something as simple as this." _

_Eclipse's training with Aziya continued under the supervision of their master they would alternate between swordplay and honing their magical techniques. Presently Eclipse was tasked with exercises testing her talent with the art of summoning. Aziya decided to start off simple and she would show Eclipse what she was supposed to summon and let her get a feeling for it before she teleported away and hid it in some far off place._

"_Keep in mind what you are looking for. Remember how it felt in your hand," the raven haired girl instructed as Eclipse nodded eagerly._

"_Right…" the demi-goddess murmured. Eclipse closed her eyes and focused on the item that had been in her hand. She closed her hand and brought back the memory of the object. She remembered the weight of the small object and the feeling of the cold metal._

_Aziya watched as Eclipse's right hand began to glow green and as she opened her palm the light around it began to brighten._

_The light steadily dimmed and Eclipse opened her eyes when she felt the familiar feeling of chilly metal on her flesh and was pleased to see the object she had been looking for. Inside her palm she found a thin silver chain with a green jeweled pendant; the same necklace that Aziya had placed in her hand earlier._

"_T-that was impressive," Aziya said as she moved over to the other girl and reached over to remove the necklace from Eclipse's hand, "Master was right, you have a talent for impressionable magic…"_

"_More likely I just feel too much," Eclipse replied feeling content with her first successful summoning._

"_You know this isn't how I planned on giving this to you…" Aziya trailed off as she looked down as the chain in her hand._

_Seeing the bashful expression on her face Eclipse carefully asked, "…if not now, when were you planning on giving it to me?"_

"_When you proved yourself to be ready for it," She answered as she looked up at Eclipse's hesitant face, "I hadn't realized how soon that would be."_

_Eclipse was even more confused but she did not want to push her friend, "What is so special about it?"_

"_The chain is useless but the pendant will help you channel your magic," Aziya said steadily as she placed the necklace in Eclipse's hand and closed her fingers around it._

"_I don't know what to say…" Eclipse stammered as she held the piece of jewelry in her palm._

"_Just that say that you will put it to good use," her friend said with a smile and flushed cheeks._

"_I will," She replied as she pale cheeks also took on a pink hue, "Thank you for this."_

_Aziya's present to Eclipse proved to have more use than either of them had expected. After Eclipse received the necklace she soon became plagued with outlandish dreams, and as the nights passed the dreams would steadily feel almost tangible to the sleeping demi-goddess. Out of all the dreams one would reoccur the most frequently and it was the one that Eclipse was currently immersed in. _

_As with the various times before, Eclipse found herself in an unfamiliar cemetery devoid of life beyond the vast gathering of spirits; she was barefoot and dressed in the same a simple white dress as in all her dreams._

_Eclipse thought back to what her mother taught her about the importance of dreams; that if you have a dream even twice it is something that you will encounter in life in some form or another._

_She watched as countless spirits would appear and begin to surround around the silhouette of a figure in the center of the graveyard. Eclipse knew this encounter must be important as she would never willingly enter a bone yard she had to deal with enough lost souls without invading their sacred ground._

_As in all the times she had this dream she would try to move closer to the mysterious person calling the spirits only to awaken in a cold sweat with fear and confusion plastered on her pale face._

_Despite the occasional bizarre dream, Eclipse's study of magic and her control over it improved greatly from her strange new accessory. Aziya had been correct when she had told her it would focus her magic and Eclipse soon found herself able to transport great distances whenever she willed it._

_The step following the art of pure teleportation was the use of portals; creating them proved to be easy enough for Eclipse however maintaining them was another thing entirely. At first she was only able to keep the portal open long enough to scramble out of before it would disappear with an audible pop. She realized it was far too dangerous to ask anyone else to accompany her until she could maintain the portal from either side. _

_As the weeks past she had finally managed to stabilize a portal from a secluded part of the temple grounds to her own island home when suddenly the green circle of energy began to fluctuate and Eclipse cautiously peered into it trying to find the source of the problem when she was thrown backwards and left dazed on the ground._

_As she regained her senses she heard muffled laughter and when she managed to pull herself off of the sandy ground underneath her, she discovered it was coming from the portal._

"_Gotcha," she heard drift through the portal._

"_Got wha…?" Eclipse asked still feeling slightly stunned._

"_I got you," A familiar voice called out to her._

_Eclipse moved closer to the portal and peeked through it to find a well-known hazel-eyed brunet laughing at her on the other side. She visibly relaxed that the sight of her friend and equally welcome smiles spread on both girls' faces._

"_Ara, how did you know that portal was mine?" Eclipse asked before they launched themselves into a fierce hug, "It could have belonged to anyone."_

"_I felt a familiar presence when I was doing my patrol around the island and when I managed to find it, I saw someone with crimson hair pass through it," the pyromancer snickered at the question, "I mean who else has hair that red but you?"_

"_Fair enough," Eclipse detached herself from her friend and nodded, "So, what have I missed since I was last here?"_

"_Oh you know the usual; I've set some things on fire, Naomi had to put them out with her internal fire extinguisher, Fayt and the twins are running the school like a mafia, Romulus eats everything, and Alexia pretends to be normal." _

_Ara crossed her arms and tilted her head to side thoughtfully, "Although, I have to admit we are missing your talent for causing drama. The academy has been pretty quiet without you to play matchmaker for everyone."_

"_Aww, it's so nice to be missed," Eclipse said as she placed a hand to her heart dramatically, "It's unfortunate that I really can't do anything to fix it though."_

"_Yeah, this whole training abroad sucks," Ara continued, "Why did you have to be the one with the crazy-dangerous powers?"_

"_Oh believe me, I have been asking myself that every day since I was six." Eclipse replied bitterly._

_They stood there in silence for a while before Eclipse perked up with an idea, "How about we make up for lost time and I show you around the temple?"_

"_Think your master will mind?" Ara asked with a devious grin._

"_Who said he has to know?" Eclipse said with a shrug of her shoulders, "I'm supposed to be practicing my portals we can just use them explore. The place is ridiculously huge anyway; I haven't even seen it all yet."_

"_Sounds like fun," Are said as she followed the demi-goddess back through the portal, "Where do we start?"_

_Eclipse really should have known better than to fool around during her training but she missed her friend and it was almost her birthday; so she decided to push her luck for some well-earned entertainment._

_However to Eclipse's surprise, her master was actually amused by her use of practice time and when she and Ara finally encountered him and Aziya in the vaults he had important news for her._

"_Since you seemed to have grasped your current project so well, I believe that have earned the right to use it to visit home," Namtar stated with an uncharacteristically pleased expression, "As long as you can keep up with your daily training I see no issue with you using it periodically."_

_The excitement quickly built up in Eclipse and she began to bounce in place before tackling her master, "Really?! Thank you!"_

_If Namtar was surprised by her action he didn't show it on his face as he continued, "Your emotional state directly affects your progress and you work far more efficiently with regular contact with your family."_

_Eclipse eventually detached herself and turned to embrace Aziya, "Isn't this awesome?" _

"_Yes, I'm so happy for you Eclipse," Aziya stated with a slightly stilted smile._

_In her overwhelming delight she didn't pick up on the jealousy emitted by her training partner when she returned to Ara. After the two shared a celebratory dance Eclipse dragged Ara off to her room to pack her essentials for her surprise visit._

_After a quick goodbye to her master and peck on the cheek for Aziya, Eclipse created a new portal linked to her family home and with Ara in tow she disappeared into the circle of bright green light._


End file.
